In a way, I feel indebted to this place and to my parents for the gifts both have given me. By my parents making the decision to raise a Jewish family and to send me here, I have made countless lifelong friends, met my best friend (who is also visiting tonight), and have had the pleasure to work with some of the most talented, thoughtful and wise colleagues I could have ever dream of.

Most importantly, we’re endeavoring to tell the stories of these kids, which are still incredibly meaningful and incredibly important even if they’re incredibly silly. Here at Harlam, we provide our campers the ability to be creative and silly and be celebrated for it, to be cheered on by your bunkmates and hopefully bring deep laughter to the whole unit.

Here at Harlam, we are teaching our campers what I call, “The Art of Losing.” We try to instill in our campers the tools necessary to frame the moments directly following loss: how can they accept defeat, acknowledge others’ successes, and look forward to the next challenge that awaits them.